


Take Off Your Mask Jackass

by LittleRedH00ds



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 17:51:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13276746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRedH00ds/pseuds/LittleRedH00ds
Summary: The Reaper and Soldier 76, they know each other but they don't know each other. Is it worth trying to start over with someone who won't drop their mask?





	Take Off Your Mask Jackass

He dropped the pulse rifle, the bulky thing clattering against the cobblestone road at his feet. The sound of it was so distant to Jack. He could only stare into the jagged edges and endless black void of the mask’s eyes. 

“It's not you.” He said to the man in the mask. His voice was softer than he intended it to be.

The figure in front of him only chuckled. The sound squeezed Jack’s heart like a vice. Then The Reaper spoke. 

“You really are Jack Morrison huh? Well, just what do I have to do to prove my identity to you? Should I tell you that your favourite flowers are sunflowers because they are so tall and bright like you? I could tell you how much you use to love hiding away after a hard day being the perfect commander for everyone and spend evenings screaming into pillows? How about that your nose twitches when you’re deeply asleep, and when I brushed my fingers through your pretty blonde hair you would whimper and curl up like a child?”

Jack sprang forward screaming a battle cry as he grabbed on to the cloaked figure’s mask with both hands. Even though the masked man had claws on his gloves he didn't try and attack Jack. Instead, he turned to smoke and drifted out from between Jack’s fingers only to reform a step away from him. 

The figure leered at him. “Is it not enough proof, shall I go on? You use to sing…you love black coffee, you refuse to answer to the name John, your mother’s name was Marcy and your dad went to war before you were born. We talked about adopting a boy when we were high on whatever the fuck they gave us in the SEP unit.” 

“Are you quite done, Gabriel?” Jack snarled.

The Reaper fell silent, his head tilted to the side. “The question is do you still not believe it's me?” 

“Oh no, I just called you Gabriel for the hell of it.” Jack snarled back. 

The Reaper laughed, it was so warm and familiar for a moment before he continued to speak in his rasping tone. “You don't think anyone else could find out that stuff about you?”

“Take that hideous thing off,” Jack growled.

“You first.” The Reaper stepped back. “How do I know who you are Soldier 76?” 

“You don't want to see my face…not after Zurich” Jack muttered. 

The Reaper raised the claws and dragged them down the side of the white skull he wore. The screech of metal on metal hurt both their ears. His words were spoken slowly, deliberately. “Baby, if you think you’re pretty face is bad then you certainly won't want to look at mine.”

Jack couldn’t lie that it made his heart beat with curiosity to know.

“What's so bad about it?” Jack knew that Gabriel had been at the centre of the terrible explosion at the Swiss base whereas he was not quite close enough for fatality. Just close enough for the explosion to ruin his body. His once marketable features were scarred by the accident and age. 

“What do you expect? It’s a mess,” The Reaper hissed, moving towards Jack again. “All a big mess…”

“I’m not scared of you.” Jack stood his ground. 

“Then we take them off together…” Gabriel said softly. “Or not at all.”

Jack felt his chest tighten but he nodded. “So be it.” 

The Reaper, Gabriel, mimicked his movements. As they both reached up, unclasped the masks, their shields, holding them for a moment before they both lowered them away from their faces, to see each other eye to eye for the first time. 

Jack gave a soft gasp. He recognised the face, even when it was clouded in smoke, scarred terribly, with skin missing, the mortal wounds, parts of bone showing through, sharper teeth, and red eyes replacing lovely brown. He was still Gabriel. 

“You look positively radiant…” Gabriel said in an amused drawl, Jack’s stomach dropped as he watched parts of his jaw move when he talked. 

“You’ve looked worse.” Jack managed to retort back.

His once enemy laughed, doubled over cackling madly. “I can’t imagine when…” he said when he finally settled. 

“During the war…” Jack’s voice softened, “when you’re sad…when things go wrong…” 

Gabriel gave a huff. “Not like this…not like I’m falling to bits…” 

“I’ve seen you fall to bits…I’ve put you back together.” Jack stepped closer and watched Gabriel tilt his head to the side again.

“Not like this…” He said in a whisper.

Jack put his hands on Gabriel’s cheeks, cupped his face. He felt like he was there, but at the same time not there at all. Wisps of smoke curled around Jack’s fingers. Gabriel’s warmth was so locked in his memory he imagined it still being there. 

“I am not the same,” Gabriel warned, he grabbed Jack’s hands but the soldier refused to let him go.   
Jack took a deep breath. “You hate the cold, you live on coffee, you are fierce, you plan for everything, you have four sisters, when you use to go to bed next to me you would mumble in your sleep and I would hold you close and tell you to hush until you settled…” 

Gabriel narrowed his eyes for a moment. “Maybe you are Jack after all.” 

They lingered there, memorising each other’s faces listening to each other’s breathing. Jack tried to take in every detail.

“Neither of us are the same…” Jack was so close to Gabriel he was breathing in smoke.

“But I still love you.”


End file.
